A UK man has broken a 91-year-old record for the world's heaviest red cabbage.

David Thomas said he was "very proud" of his 23.2-kilogram entry to the UK's National Giant Vegetables Championship at the Malvern Autumn Show.

He has been growing vegetables competitively for more than 15 years, and said the cabbage took "hours of work".

Mr Thomas already holds the official world records for the heaviest parsnip (7.85kg) and heaviest cucumber (12.9kg) — both also broken at the same show in previous years.

"There's no big secret to growing giant veg. You just need the right seeds to start with, plenty of room, good soil and a bit of luck," he said."I couldn't be happier, it makes all the work even more worthwhile when you're awarded a world record.

"I can't wait to get cracking on next year's crop and see what that might bring."

The previous world record was set by Mr R Straw in 1925, whose red cabbage weighed 19.05kg. Mr Thomas' record is yet to be verified by Guinness World Records.

Three other vegetables from the championship are also waiting for Guinness World Record verification — a 6.245-metre-long carrot, a 7.9-metre beetroot and a 5.023-metre parsnip, all cultivated by veteran grower Joe Atherton.

Meanwhile, Dale Toten settled for third place in the heaviest cabbage category after a chef used some of his prized vegetable for a confit.

Mr Toten, who works at a UK country house hotel, said when he discovered what had happened to his nearly 38kg cabbage he "might have lost [his] temper".

"I looked in the chef's pantry and it was right there in front of me — he had used it for a confit," he told the BBC.

3. Belgian Sets World Record for Heaviest Bike You Can Actually Ride

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Bike builders are constantly competing to make the lightest bicycle possible, but not Jeff Peeters. The Belgian engineer recently set the Guinness World Record for heaviest rideable bicycle in the world: 1,895 pounds and 15.6 ounces.

Peeters recently rode his giant contraption down the street in Mechelen, Belgium, to demonstrate that it could be done. To officially break the record, he had to ride the bike a minimum distance of 100 meters, or 328 feet, which he did with no problem. Other than not being able to turn, riding the bike on a flat surface seems fairly easy.

To build his gargantuan bike, which measures 7.4 feet tall and 16.5 feet long, Peeters used large tractor wheels and recycled scrap metal for the frame. It appears that two positive gear ratios are used to pedal the behemoth and actually spin the massive wheels. A small chain ring on the crank connects to a large cog in the rear like a normal bike. But that large cog connects by way of a bottom bracket to another small cog on the opposite side of the frame, which is connected to the rear wheel with a second bike chain. The result is a super-easy gear ratio, letting you pedal the 1,900-pound bike. It's basically the same setup as a tandem bicycle, but way more awesome.

We'll have to see if someone tries to challenge Peerers's design. It sure would be nice to hit that one ton mark.

4. World's Heaviest Earthworm Found, Then Killed

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Dave, a 16-inch-long earthworm discovered recently in England, will become part of the collection at the Natural History Museum in London.

What Paul Rees recently discovered among his vegetables in England's Cheshire County is anything but garden variety: a gigantic earthworm.

Rees's stepson, George, named the behemoth Dave. He's the longest earthworm recorded in the United Kingdom—almost 16 inches—but it's his mass that has really impressed scientists. Dave weighs nearly an ounce, almost twice as heavy as any other wild earthworm ever seen. That's about the size of a small chocolate bar.

Before Dave, the largest earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) was a Scottish specimen found in 2015 that weighed about half an ounce. (Read about the biggest insect that ever lived.)

In London, the Natural History Museum's Emma Sherlock said she was astonished by the find.

“I was bowled over by the size of the worm when I opened the plastic box they sent it in,” Sherlock said in the press release. (The museum told National Geographic that Sherlock was not available for an interview.)

“I look forward to seeing if anyone can find an even bigger example by taking part in the Earthworm Watch survey this autumn," says Sherlock, who also chairs the Earthworm Society of Britain.

To the chagrin of many of his social media fans, Dave was killed for scientific reasons and will now be on display as part of the museum's collection.

Twitter users expressed their anger at the worm's fate at #davetheworm and even created a Twitter account for the dead invertebrate, @PoorDaveTheWorm.

EARTHWORMS MAKE HAPPY SOILThis earthworm species is common throughout Europe, where they usually reach lengths of between eight to 10 inches. Because earthworms have many predators, the invertebrates normally do not survive long enough in the wild to reach Dave's proportions. Their life span is unknown, but the worms have reached six years old in captivity.

Dave also plays an equally huge role in his ecosystem by keeping soils healthy. The animals boost the soil's carbon storage by mixing in decomposing plant material, which also helps improve soil fertility. (Also see "Mysterious Mounds in South America Are Likely Worm Poop.")

For instance, earthworm burrows increase the amount of air and water in soil, making the land aerated and productive. (Test your soil IQ.)

“With worms this size, Paul [Rees] must have an incredibly fertile and well-drained vegetable plot with decaying matter quickly recycled back into the soil,” Sherlock said.

5. This gigantic turban is 645m long and weighs 100 pounds! Will Avtar Singh Mauni create a new record for the world's longest turban?

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60-year-old Avtar Singh Mauni might just create a world record for the wearing the world's largest turban. His headgear weighs 100 pounds and when unwrapped, measures as much as the length of 13 Olympic swimming pools! Wearing this turban is no mean task. It takes Avtar Singh Mauni 6 hours to wrap this turban that is about the weight of a moped.

A deeply religious Sikh, Avtar Singh Mauni's turban brings him pride and joy. While the usual length of a turban lies between 5-7m, this Patiala resident is on his way to beat the current Guinness World Record holder, Major Singh's 400m turban with his 645m long headgear.

A strongly devout Nihang, Avtar Singh says he started wearing a 150m long turban and gradually started tying a 365m turban until it reached the size of 645m. He cannot get inside a car with the heavy weight, so he usually travels across the city on his motorcycle. He often obliges children by posing with them for a photograph every now and then.

6. ROSE PARADE FLOAT FEATURING SURFING DOGS SETS WORLD RECORD

A unique Tournament of Roses Parade float featuring surfing dogs and other talented animals set a new Guinness World Record.

The Lucy Pet's Gnarly Crankin' K-9 Wave Maker float set the world record for the longest and heaviest float in Tournament of Roses Parade history. The float weighs 74 tons and is 126 feet long.

"It's an official Guinness World Records title, so it is the longest single-chassis parade float ever created for a parade," said Kim Partrick with Guinness World Records.

And the stars of the float will include Fred, a world champion surfing and Frisbee trick dog.

"He's only been actually surfing in the ocean for a short while, but we started in his backyard pool," said a float organizer with Lucy Pet.

Fred and other pups will be hanging ten on 10,000 gallons of water in a massive tank which sits atop the float.

"The technology that the dog float is using can make a wave from anywhere from a foot and a half, which is what the dogs will be riding, to about 8 feet for human surfing," explained Bruce Bridges, who designs for American Wave Machines.

The Lucy Pet Foundation's goal is to help spread the message of reducing pet overpopulation.

"I just love that Lucy's Pet helps spay and neuter dogs to help control the population," said celebrity float rider pop star JoJo Siwa, who was holding her pet BoBo.

The 128th annual Tournament of Roses Parade will take place on Monday, Jan. 2.

7. Shocker: Millennials aren’t heaviest social media users

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When you think of Millennials, you probably think of someone using a smartphone, tapping away as they post a photo to Instagram, add a status update to Facebook, or retweet political memes.

Would it surprise you to find out then that Millennials actually aren’t the heaviest users of social media?

People ages 18-34 spend a hefty six hours and 19 minutes per week on social networks, finds a new report from Nielsen.

But Generation Xers, 37 to 52, spends even more, six hours and 58 minutes. That’s 10 percent more than Millennials.

What’s more, Gen X increased its social media time by 29 percent from third quarter of 2015 to Q3 of 2016, while Millennials only increased by 21 percent. Those over 50 had the biggest gain, at 64 percent.

What it means for social media advertisersWhile advertisers have become obsessed with Millennials, they would be wise to remember Gen Xers, too, based on this report, since the heaviest social media users are also the most open to advertising.

“Social media is one of the biggest opportunities that companies across industries have to connect directly to consumers,” notes the report.

“And it turns out that social media users can be pretty receptive—especially heavy users, who spend over 3 hours per day on social media.”

The report also finds that overall, across all media, Millennials consume much less than their older counterparts, at 26 hours and 49 minutes – which really puts the kibosh on the aforementioned image of the Millennial attached to their phone.

So what sites are they visiting? Across all ages, Facebook has by far the most U.S. users on smartphones, 178.8 million, compared to 91.5 million for Instagram. Twitter is third at 82.2 million, followed by Pinterest at 69.6 million.

On desktop, Twitter ranks ahead of Instagram, with Pinterest third and Blogger fourth.

8. Teenage mum gives birth to 'world's heaviest baby girl'

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A teenage mother has given birth to what is believed to be the heaviest baby girl in history.

The unnamed baby reportedly weighed in at 15 pounds (6.8kg) after being delivered by caesarean section in southern India.

Her 19-year-old mother Nandini, who weighs 14.5 stone and is 5ft 9', had been unaware she was carrying such a large child.

Doctors described the record-breaking baby as a "miracle" after being born without any apparent health problems.

Venkatesh Raju told local media: "I believe she is not only the heaviest baby born in India but the heaviest baby girl ever born in the world."

His colleague Poornima Manu, the gynaecologist who delivered the baby, said she showed no high sugar levels, a common cause of newborn obesity.

"She does not have any health issues like irregular sugar levels or thyroid and is breathing well," she said.The previous record for a female baby was set in 2014 by Carisa Rusack, who weighed 14 pounds and five ounces (6.49kg) at the time of her birth in Massachusetts.

Both girls were still notably lighter than history's heaviest baby boy, who weighed 22 pounds and eight ounces (10.2kg).

He was born to Carmelina Fedele in Italy in 1955 and remains the holder of the outright Guinness World Record, which does not keep listings by gender.

9. 'Living bombshell': World's heaviest woman flies to India to fight for her life

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Eman Ahmed, from Egypt, is believed to be the world's heaviest woman. According to her family, she weighs 1,102 pounds (500 kg).

"Eman didn't live life as everyone does," Shaimaa Ahmed, Eman's younger sister and carer, tells CNN. "She didn't enjoy her childhood or youth. She's been battling with her illness for 36 years."According to her family, Eman has barely left her bedroom in over two decades. Unable to move or communicate, she spends her days trapped inside her family home, staring at the ceiling.

A stroke two years ago impaired her speech and mobility, so the last couple of years have been particularly difficult, Eman's sister says.

However, thanks to a social media campaign initiated by Shaimaa, the family's situation is now looking a little more hopeful.

Publicity surrounding Eman's plight caught the attention of eminent Mumbai-based surgeon, Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala, who set up a fundraising initiative in order to fly Eman to India.

He plans to set in motion a series of operational procedures that will reduce her weight to below 220 pounds (100kg.)

"She is battling with her life every single day," Dr. Lakdawala told CNN. He says that as things stand, how long she lives is anybody's guess.

"Right now she is like a living bombshell, which could blow up on her any moment."

According to Guinness World Records, the world's heaviest living woman is Pauline Potter from the United States, who weighs 643 pounds (291.6 kg.)

'She always had hope'Eman's family says she's suffered from thyroid problems since she was a child.

When she was born, she reportedly weighed 11 pounds (5 kg), and by the age of 11, she'd started to put on weight.

By fifth grade she'd stopped going to school because her thyroid problems were making her lethargic.

Her legs were also unable to carry her weight; she had to use her knees to move around because she couldn't stand.

"She would use her knees to reach the car in the parking lot and we would drive her across Alexandria and the coast without leaving the car," says her sister Shaimaa.

"She wasn't able to walk properly and there was no wheelchair to fit her size."

Despite her tragic circumstances, according to her sister, Eman always remained patient and funny.

"She has always had hope that she would lose weight and get better," Shaimaa says.

But a couple of years ago, things changed. Eman's weight went up to about 660 pounds (300 kg) so she put herself on a strict diet.

"Suddenly her cholesterol levels went up and she lost consciousness," says Shaimaa.

It took time to find a hospital that would run an MRI on someone of her size, and when they eventually did, she was diagnosed as having had a stroke.

According to Shaimaa, things went downhill from there.

The stroke reduced Eman's already limited ability to move and speak, and her family had to start taking care of all her needs.

They used hand gestures when they couldn't understand each other and her body started retaining water; her weight bloated to more than 1,000 pounds.

The doctors the family consulted seemed unable to get to the root of the problem.

Shaimaa says Eman's positivity and cheerfulness fell away.

ObstaclesThe opportunity for Eman to be operated on in India is a ray of hope in an otherwise bleak scenario for the 36-year-old and her family.

They were met with roadblocks almost immediately. Eman's visa application was initially denied because she was unable to go to the Indian embassy in person.

Dr. Lakdawala wrote a letter explaining that Eman had barely left her room in decades and pleaded with them to reconsider. When he was told it was still impossible, he tweeted India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. "I was left with no other option," he says.

He was pleasantly surprised by her response; within two hours she had written back agreeing to help expedite the visa on humanitarian grounds.

Organizing transport was another priority, but that presented its own complications, because access to planes is difficult for someone of Eman's size.

"Air ambulances normally have a bigger door because they allow stretchers," says Dr. Lakdawala, but as Eman doesn't fit on a normal stretcher, he's had to talk to individual airlines about their capacity to accommodate her. Additionally, Eman is unable to sit in a seat, so the team have to find a flight where she can lie horizontally.

They're also taking into account that, coming from a Muslim country, she might be uncomfortable being cared for by men, so they've put together an all-female team.

"I will be the only male when it eventually comes to operating on her," says Dr Lakdawala.

As Eman is a "high risk" patient, Dr. Lakdawala says they will be taking "all precautions." And if the operation does go ahead and is a success, Eman will have to stay in Mumbai for a number of months afterward so she can be monitored.

To get her to a stage where she can bend and weighs under 220 pounds (100kg), Dr. Lakdawala says it will take two operations and at least three and half years.

Shaimaa collected the visas Wednesday and says she's optimistic about the future.